Latin News from the fine folks at Radio Bremen:
Month: April 2013
Parthenon/Elgin Marbles Debate
… seems to be about to heat up again. From Greek Reporter:
Deputy Minister of Culture Kostas Tzavaras is setting up a special committee to push for return of the marbles stolen from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, a British diplomat, more than 200 years and now housed in in the British Museum which has refused to return them.
The committee consists of Christofors Argyropoulos, the President of the Melina Mercouri Foundation, the Director-General of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture and a diplomat that represents the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The committee objects to make the state claim this national goal on a constant basis. We are now in position to overcome all of Britain’s objections to return the sculptures in their natural place from where they have been detached, because the argument that there is no space to put them does not exist anymore after the foundation and function of the Acropolis Museum,” Tzavaras said.
“We remain fixed in our position to claim a national goal that is introduced for the first time since the late Melina Mercouri as Minister of Culture of Greece in 1982 and we shape once again the request against the bothersome detachment of the monument’s parts under the argument that now the museum exists and after the placement of the sculptures back to their positions, the visitors will have the opportunity to see this as the original artworks ensemble,” Tzavaras added.
- via: Greek Committee To Claim Parthenon Marbles (Greek Reporter)
Homeric Swimming a la Karl Lagerfeld?
I’ve been hemming and hawing about including this, but might as well … excerpts from the Telegraph:
If you have a penchant for Homeric poems, Chanel or swimming – or preferably all three, then book your summer break at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo where the eclectic trio have pooled for a mural-style installation.
Karl Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director for Chanel, was chosen by the hotel – which won “Best Hotel in the World 2010” – to create a unique poolside piece, named “Ulysses’ Journey around the Mediterranean Sea”, inspired by Homer’s epics: the Iliad and the Odyssey .
[…]
“We were not only thinking about Odyssey as a place to swim and tan, but rather as a living space.”
[…]
Lagerfeld’s bespoke installation is made up of twenty panels, measuring 18×3 metres, in which photos of models in togas are superimposed onto black and white images of Greek coastlines from 1850-60. The scenes are backlit by LEDs which change according to the surrounding natural lighting which adds to the intimate atmosphere and ambience.
[…]
- via: Karl Lagerfeld’s hotel mural sideline(Telegraph)
… I was unable to find a better photo than the small one included with the original article … probably because my brain was still cringing from that toga reference …
Celebrating Rome’s 2766th
Yesterday’s celebrations resulted in some GREAT photos of assorted folks in assorted period costumes (most are Getty images of some sort) … here’s some of the better coverage I came across:
- Rome celebrates its birthday (Stuff … slideshow; this one has most/all of them I think)
- When in Rome: The Eternal City takes a step back in time as it celebrates 2,766th birthday(Daily Mail … some overlap with the above; tip o’ the pileus to Richard Campbell)
- Romans Celebrate the 2,766th Anniversary of Their City (Just a photo)
- Romans Celebrate the 2,766th Anniversary of Their City (ditto)
- 2766° Natale di Roma(a very nice Flickr set)
Akropolis World News
… in Classical Greek … latest headline: